Division Head Started as Cashier, now Leads 100,000
Longtime Home Depot associate Ann-Marie Campbell recently became president of the Company’s Southern Division, leading a team of approximately 100,000 associates in 640 stores.
Ann-Marie has been wearing the orange apron since 1985, first as a cashier, then in a variety of positions including store manager, district manager and several vice-president posts.
We recently sat down with her to discuss her views on the Company, the Southern Division and her plans moving forward.
What have you learned in your time with the Company?
Our business is all about two things: our customers and our associates. In both cases, we have to ask ourselves, what is the right thing to do? What is the right thing for our customers? This was true when I joined the Company, and it is even more true today. We are completely committed to putting the customer first, and it all begins with our front-line associates, who are the face of our Company.
What are your top priorities for the Southern Division in 2009?
I think our biggest area of focus will be to get all of our stores and associates in the Southern Division aligned with our core initiatives. It’s important for our success to ensure that we have everyone moving in the same direction, and it’s important that those of us who support the stores help to bring key initiatives alive for our associates.
Do you see any areas for improvement?
I think the areas that we as a division can improve upon are areas where we may not get the credit we deserve. There is tremendous loyalty among our customers for The Home Depot brand, and I think we need to leverage that.
I also feel that we can enhance the relationships we have with our customers. Many of our associates have a tremendous connection with those who shop in our stores, and I think we can build those connections with all of our customers.
We will continue to focus on reinstating the culture, heart and passion in the business where our associates are proud, motivated and inspired to do the right thing and live our values every day.
How do you envision your role as division president?
The thing that I am most responsible for is to make the Company strategy real for our associates and our stores, and to help ensure that stores trust in and understand the part we play in ensuring that our strategy will be successful. Additionally, it’s important for me to be an advocate for associates in the field so that they have all of the tools they need to be successful. I also believe it is important to have a unifying vision and foster a team environment wherein there is both individual and collective responsibility for each other and the overall success of the division and the Company.
What is the thing you enjoy the most about The Home Depot?
The best part of this Company is our people. Since joining the Company, I have loved being a part of retail and the people in it. You have to find something you love to do, and I am very lucky that I was able to find that here.
Comments
This story really inspires me. I am a recent associate of the homedepot 1half years.I really am a go getter also and customer service platinium holder. It is really great to hear that one day i can also move up in the company and looking forward to that day. Congradulations on your promotion. One day you’ll be reading of my great homedepot story.
When I started at The Home Depot 2759 we were on fire for Team Depot. We came in 2nd in the company for the Founders Award, ( the top Team Depot ) store in the company. One of our projects was building a new storage building for a local food bank. The buyer that helped me with the vendors was Jim Kane, now a division president. I have since changed stores and with his career path I am sure he will not remember this, but here in a small town of Northern Michigan, we will never forget.
I have been with the Depot for 17 years. I was very impressed here on the 6th day of Aug. When Yourself and Frank Blake came into our store. In the years I have been here and since this store in Mobile, Al. has been here many years. Never a C.E.O. I was very impressed even though I was not able to speak to you I was in cabinets with the crutchs I was with one of our elderly customers and did not feel it would be approiate that I leave her even though I wanted to but thank you and Mr. Blake very much it has meant the world to our store, because we have a lot of very tenure people here in this store 0865. We remember Bernie and Arthur and now Frank is bringing back there same beliefs and you are right in there bringing back what you know is tried and true and we appriate it. From Us AT #0865 WE THANK YOU
congrats on the new promotion…i wish you the best of luck on your road to sucuess!!!!
I am so proud to have worked at Home Depot for the last 7 years. And nothing has made me prouder that to have read about the rise of our Souther President; Ann- Marie Campbell ! It has not been that that long ago that Rosa Parks took her historic ride in the front of the bus. So it is so wonderful to see that America and Home Depot is now judging our people by the content of their character and merit of their performance….the way it should be! And by the way ….our new CEO is a pretty cool dude too! Great to see people at the top who really care about us (many) at the bottom. Pete Ross…..store 1013
That is one of the reason’s why I have enjoyed working for such a great Company. I have worked for Home Depot for seven years now and I am currently the Operations Manager for this store in Laredo. I started out as a part time freight team associate and have been able to work my way up. I am looking foward to a long successful career and hopefully I have my opportunity to accomplish all that you have. Congrats… from HD 6540..
Having started with Ann-Marie in a North Miami Beach Home Depot (refunds desk) I can honestly say, she deserves to be where she is at. She has always had a strong personality, especially when it came to The Home Depot core values. Along with a passion to be a one on one person when it came to speaking with her fellow employees, to teach an understanding of what it meant to be a Home Depot employee. Having Ann-Marie in the position she is in, helps to bring back the old core values of what a great company The Home Depot is to work for. I am truly honored to be a part of her beginning with the company and still honored to be a part of The Home Depot for 24 yrs.
Congradulations Ann-Marie, you have made many old timers very proud of you.
Since the start of the in box I have been heavily involved in submiting comments and encouraging my fellow associates to do so. One of my co workers won the $ 1,000 for the fun fund and I won a box of steaks when we were on the live in box show. I want to commend the outstanding performance of Amanda with the inbox staff by her support and encouraging me to participate. It is nice to see our new president Mr. Blake reads our comments. You will be getting alot of feedback from 1206, Freeport NY.As a 14 year veteran it is great to see such great support.
I am most happy for your success. Do be well and lead on.
While searching our website for online products that may benefit our garden center, I stumbled upon this webpage, and was immediately drawn to your picture since you were recently featured on the SamePage broadcast. The comments made by other associates brought back fond memories of our original founders sharing breakfast with us during our Sunday morning store meetings. Personally, I am elated by your responses, and myself as well as store #0247 share your vision. In his role as our mentor, our store manager wisely requires that each DS submit his strategies for the following year. So that you may discover the source of my elation, you may, at your convenience of course, review the one submitted by dept.28 for 2009.